And lo, Kano looked down upon the field and saw the multitudes. Amongst them were the disciples of Uesheba who were greatly vexed at his sayings. And Kano spake: "Do not be concerned with the mote in thy neighbor's eye, when verily thou hast a massive stick in thine ass".

I have always wondered every time this happens: Will the kids be grandmasters when they reach puberty?

In the Wado dojo in Hawaii there were kids that started young - and no, not five, but at least prepubes. When they were late teens they were the type that could do splits and had good fast techniques. Unfortunately, most who start young don't last. Here in Logan Ut., I only know @ six teens who started @ 7 or 8 that stuck with it and they ARE good and they take things for granted that us later starter suffered a lot to get. But the ones from the Okinawan dojo had to retest through the ranks as soon as they joined the adult class (13 and up usually - Sensei made an exception for my daughter who'd done a couple years of kiddie Kyokushin), but they are allowed to wear their kiddie belt rank while they test back up and beyond that level. The Chirioku (eclectic American karate/judo that I and my son do) kids are allowed to test and keep their belts but they have to be able to hurt the instructors sparring before testing for black. Therefore they might be green or brown for a long time. And they tend to go black about late teens, the same as the trad Okinawan dojo. The schools don't think much of each other, but they are really very similar - one just thinks wearing anything but white is a sin, and the guys in the colorful gis think the white gi guys are uptight.

"Preparing mentally, the most important thing is, if you aren't doing it for the love of it, then don't do it." - Benny Urquidez

I agree kids classes may need belts to keep them interested - unless it's in the family, then they'll probably have a whole different perception of it - otherwise, kids like prizes. But there has to be 'kiddie' grades or something. One, because otherwise all you get is some brat with an 'I'm a black belt!' complex who'll at best, be unpopular, at worst, be beaten up in the playground. Two, surely it's gotta piss off the adults with the same belt who may actually have worked hard for it?

I read this lame little story on the local paper's website, about a ten year old 'black belt' who - horror of horrors - is now training to be an instructor, and even gets to 'teach' adults (the joke being, he now 'teaches' his own father.)

When I get home from work, I'm gonna clean out the garage and start my own style. I'll take kids between two and four, grade them all up to black belt after a month. Then, when they're about eight I will initiate them into the "Way of the Silent wind of doom Ninjitsu". This is a style that I am also inventing and becoming grandmaster of this evening.